My house originally had a porch in he backyard. A previous owner surrounded the porch with walls and made it a new room to the house. Unfortunatly, he also left the floor as the original exposed aggregate. I need to smooth the surface.

I have the room to add a 1/4" to 1/2" layer of material to the floor. From what I understand, a layer of concrete that thin would have no tensile strength and would shatter the first time I dropped something on it.

Does anyone have a suggestion on what material I could cover the exposed aggregate with to smooth it over?

DexterII

09-17-2010 08:58 AM

At first glance, it sounds like you need to remove some of the "aggregate", prepare a proper base, and then install your floor. But, before that, based on the minimum information that is provided, my first concern would be to determine if a proper, or any, foundation was provided for the structure that was built around the porch. Again, based only on the details that you have and have not provided, it seems very likely that this was done with no permits and inspections, and very possibly with minimal, or no, initial planning, so I would investigate what you actually have before adding to it.

poppameth

09-17-2010 09:39 AM

Are you installing a floor over this or leaving the smoothed concrete as your walking surface? Mapei makes several concrete restoration products that will handle either application you choose. However, I agree that it way be a good idea to investigate further to make sure that are no other potential problems lurking.